London has been battered by 50mph winds that have felled trees and caused travel chaos. Powerful gusts swept across the capital as the Met Office issued a yellow "be aware" weather alert for most of the country.

Thomas Cook appointed a new chief executive today, leaving chairman Frank Meysman to insist that the beleaguered company is “ready for lift off”.

Harriet Green arrives from electronic parts distributor Premier Farnell with a mission to turn around a business that has been dicing with death for several months.

On one disastrous day in November its shares crashed 70% after it admitted trading was terrible and that it would not survive without cash injections from banks. The banks have since been supportive.

That Green comes from outside the travel trade raised some eyebrows.

Meysman said: “I think that may even be an asset. We have hundreds of people who are perfect experts in the travel industry. We now have someone who is at the forefront of technology with experience of turning around companies.”

Mark Brumby at Langton Capital said: “Seasoned travel operators may not have come across Ms Green but, as she is joining the industry from outside, that is not surprising. Her skills may be and should be transferable, but the learning curve will be steep.”

Green is likely to be on a tasty incentive deal, the details of which will come later. Executive pay is a sensitive subject, especially at Thomas Cook. The previous permanent chief executive Manny Fontenla-Novoa was paid £15 million during his four years at the helm, a tenure that it seems impossible to describe as a success.

Meysman said of the pay issue: “My way of addressing this is that you pay well for excellent performance, you don’t pay well for non-performance.”

Green said: “Thomas Cook is an iconic brand in the leisure travel industry. I am very excited to be joining the team at this time, to lead the business forward as we rebuild shareholder value through innovation and a sustained focus on the needs of our customers, suppliers and employees.”

She is also a non-executive director of BAE Systems and US firm Emerson Electric.